How to spell peripheral
peripheral
Peripheral is spelled P-E-R-I-P-H-E-R-A-L.
Not periferal.
Why is peripheral easy to misspell?
The word peripheral spells its F sound with PH, and the misspelling periferal writes an F. Periphery has the same PH, so the pair can be learned together.
That spelling matches the sound exactly, which is why it looked right. English keeps letters long after the sound has moved on, so the conventional spelling is often the one that looks least like it sounds.
Greek spelling: ph for the f sound
What does peripheral mean?
adjective. Relating to or situated on the edge or periphery of something.
Which other words set the same trap?
Where does English spelling come from?
The conventions each language layer left in English spelling, with their sources, are on where English spelling comes from.
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Play today's Daily FiveSpellingIQ is a skill rating for spelling ability, not a clinical or psychometric IQ measure. American English is canonical; common variants are accepted.